Time will Tell
by mandii-xo
Summary: It has been 4 months since their date and 4 months since Klaus has been gone. Where do Klaus and Caroline stand now that he has returned? Enemies? Lovers? Friends? Only time will tell. Sequel to Arguments. AU. Klaroline
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys, here we go the sequel for arguments… I don't have a valid excuse why it has taken me so long to update. Life gets in the way as usual. But here it is enjoy

This story is rated M for a reason – please remember this!

*Caroline*

She walked into the Grill taking a seat and waited. At the same time Tyler walked into the Grill they made brief eye contact. Usually they avoided each other at all costs since the time she had dissed him, but lately she had been catching him staring at her. She wasn't sure what he was thinking or even what he wanted, but she didn't care.

When she realised that her table was his destination, she focused her attention out the Grill's windows. Silently praying someone she knew would walk in so she wouldn't have to deal with what was coming. She had no time for him what so ever. They were not friends.

"What a lucky guy." Tyler stood before her smirking. She was forced to turn her head as he had thrown something on her table. She rolled her eyes no idea what he was talking about she looked down at the object it was a magazine with a picture on the front. Klaus was on the front cover. She squeezed her knuckles under the table she was sure they were turning white. She glanced over the magazine Klaus was wearing a black suit, leaning against a railing with another woman who had her arm wrapped around his waist. The cover had "Most eligible bachelor" sprawled across, she scoffed.

She wasn't sure how to respond or even if she should. He still recognised Klaus from all those months ago, which really wasn't surprising considering Klaus was all the magazines talked about lately. What was Tyler's point showing this to her? Klaus was a rich playboy and she was a high school student; She kept her glance on Tyler, and Enzo walked into the Grill she sighed of relief he made his way to them.

"Morning, darling." Enzo purred in his accent. He leaned down to kiss Caroline on her head and nodded at Tyler. "Oh it's that singer!' Enzo said, looking at the magazine on the table. "Who is she with? That lucky bastard!"

"That's what I said" Tyler exclaimed still looking at her.

"Wonder what it would be like to be him" Enzo said in awe, noticing the other candid pictures surrounding the middle one, all images of Klaus with gorgeous women.

"I'm sure you two have more things in common than you realise," Tyler replied , taking the magazine' "You'll understand one day." He gave her an innocent smile.

Enzo shrugged, having no clue what Tyler had been referring. Caroline was livid her fingers drummed on the table. That piece of absolute shit. She could not believe it he was still so bitter. The idea of him even trying to blackmail her over nothing was sickening. Tyler knew nothing about her and Klaus.

Caroline had to leave she couldn't deal with this at the moment Klaus had been gone for over 4 months. She hadn't heard from him and quite frankly she didn't want to - okay maybe that was a lie. She wanted to leave their one night stand at that and move on. Well technically she had moved on; Enzo came to town to visit Damon and well things escalated from there. He was a good distraction, she wasn't using him she genuinely liked him. Did he bring out the side in her that Klaus did? No. Did he please her as well as Klaus had done that night? No not at all but she was done comparing the two. Klaus wasn't coming back and Enzo was sweet and treated her like a human. That's that.

"Enzo, I am not feeling the best do you mind if we skip breakfast?" She asked looking at him worried he may get angry with her sudden mood change.

"Not at all sweetheart, I have to help Damon with a few things anyway. We will catch up tonight?" he winked.

"Sure" she smiled relieved. She grabbed her bag gave him a suave kiss on his lips and walked out the Grill.

She took out her phone sending a quick group text to the girls stating it was an emergency and to meet at her house in 10 minutes. Well it technically wasn't an emergency still she needed to have a whinge to them about her sudden run in with Tyler and she knew they would understand.

She sighed a few weeks after Klaus had left the girls had a night out resulting in Caroline getting drunk and confessing about her and Klaus. They were supportive and even joked how obvious it was.

Caroline was making herself a coffee in the kitchen when the front door swung open. She nearly dropped her mug and turned around to see what the commotion was. Katherine, Rebekah, Elena and Bonnie all stared at her with sympathy in their eyes.

"What?" Caroline asked taken back by their sudden behaviour.

Katherine smirked being the first to speak. "You might need something stronger than coffee"

"Huh?" Caroline responded. What are they talking about?

Rebekah huffed walking over to the TV and flicking it on. Caroline walked and sat on the couch staring blankly at the screen in a daze.

It was Klaus except, oddly there was no woman at his side. He was with Stefan and the footage they were viewing was taken by paparazzi bombarding him as he walked down the sidewalk. Cameras were flashing and reporters were shooting question after question. "Were negotion's really that difficult to reach?" "Is it true that Brian no longer wanted to be affiliated with Mikaelson Incorpoated" "How does it feel knowing that despite the dispute being settled, they're still competing for your position"

Her phone rang and she jumped startled, looking at the caller Id being Enzo she silenced her phone and put it in her bag without turning away from the screen. "After much negotions, a CINC representative has confirmed a compromise has been reached and that all parties involved are quote, _satisfied with the results_." They went to footage of an older man talking to the press on the podium. "We are happy to announce that we were able to maintain our relationship and will resume business as usual."

The scene cut back to the female correspondents. They were skinny and fashionable and when they showed pictures of Klaus in the background, they just looked at each other knowingly. "What that means is that out handsome CEO is finally able to come back home, a cause for celebration ladies"

A video of Klaus and Stefan played again this time they were walking through the airport with sunglasses on in their suits. "This was taken hours ago at the airport. Its official Klaus Mikaelson is back in town".

Caroline stared at the TV her mouth open. He was back. He was actually back after 4 months.

"Well things are about to get a lot more interesting around here" Katherine smirked. Earning a laugh out of Rebekah.

One thing Caroline knew was that she and Enzo were so over.

A/N: HE'S BACKKKKKKKKKKKK eeeeep, there we have it the first chapter


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, thank you for your kind reviews. In this story we are going to see both Caroline and Klaus grow as characters trust me!**

**Klaus hasn't thought of Caroline since he has been gone and no they haven't had any contact. That's just the type of guy he is in the story both characters are OOC which you will need to understand.**

**I'm all for a happy ending that's what us Klaroliner's need! Don't give up!**

**Hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter!**

XXXXX

Klaus arrived in his new apartment it took some time to get used to. It had so many more amenities than his last one and he still mistook rooms for closets. Still, the added privacy and security features were a welcome change that he couldn't fathom how he'd managed to survive without them.

His favourite so far was the security vault he had on the second floor the size of a standard banks gold deposit. The vault was amazing because he was able to keep a decent amount of cash at home securely.

Then there was the helicopter landing-pad on his roof. It assured him the utmost privacy and speed – two things of which he was seriously lacking these days – when trying to leave and arrive at home.

He walked in to his kitchen pouring himself a glass of whisky he needed it. He hadn't spoken to Stefan since he arrived back home. Quite frankly he didn't want too. He had met a girl since him and Rebekah had called it quits.

Sure Ivy seemed nice enough when they had first met. Her true colours came out soon enough she was a controlling bitch putting it in the nicest way possible. She had the personality of a wet towel and Klaus for the life of him couldn't understand what was so great about her. Though he was probably being bias, he knew Rebekah and Stefan love each other but are both to stubborn to talk about it. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration dreading to be the one to have to tell his baby sister that Stefan has a new girlfriend.

XXXXX

Caroline smiled listening to Rebekah discussing her new boy toy. Rebekah had busied herself in the salon that her brothers had helped fund for her. She had no interest in taking over the family business she wanted to do something for herself. Rebekah's boy toy was in fact an electrician who had been replacing the light fixtures for the last few days he had also worked during the spa construction over the summer. He was a cutie with a body and even she had a habit of watching him work whenever things happened to be 'broken'

"He'll do for now." Rebekah sipped on her midday cocktail while the girls waited for their nails to dry. "I need the distraction."

"What about Stef –"

"Ah, ah" Rebekah interrupted waving her index finger and frowning at Caroline "We made a deal remember, I don't mention one of my brothers and you don't bring up him who shall not be named"

Caroline rolled her eyes in frustration. Her and Stefan where epic, God they were so damn stubborn.

"Where are Bonnie and Elena?" Rebekah asked changing the subject.

"They are with Damon and Kol, they are coming past here soon" Caroline replied taking a sip out of her cocktail.

Rebekah smiled knowingly "Well I am happy for them, it's great when two people like each other and admit their feelings"

"Ha! Speak for yourself" Caroline shot back

"Touché Forbes, Touché!"

XXXXX

Klaus sat in the meeting with some of the top executives of Mikaelsons Inc. Beside him Elijah appeared calm, but the agitated shaking of his leg under the table said otherwise. Next to Elijah was Damon sat cross-armed, leaning back seemingly unperturbed. Next to him sat Kol and Stefan.

"…been proven to successfully mollify the workers; it's reckless to stop now. And then to give them additional benefits on top of that? Ridiculous."

Silas, the main enemy and Klaus's number one opponent, was able to gather the collective sounds of affirmation of the men around him. The ex-CEO was still butt hurt at having his title taken by Klaus and if they thought he had it out for him before it was even crazier now. The side of which Silas sat on (and had full support from) consisted of a completely different generation of men with some old enough to be his grandfather and whose differences in ideas were as vast as their ages. All of the old men gave Klaus disapproving frowns as Silas's confident posture further relaxed at the backing. Before Klaus was able to address him another spoke up.

"You're missing the point. That budget is completely separate and you are being petty." Alexander's input made the men sitting closest to him groan in annoyance. Elijah released a deep breath. "The key concern is as Klaus stated earlier. That's where our main focus of discussion should be. Move on."

"I agree, but we'll have to discuss that next week. We're done for now." Klaus stood up, effectively ending the meeting.

"How can we be done?" One of the gentlemen sitting a few seats from him slammed his hand on the table to get Klaus attention. No one else moved. "Nothing was resolved!"

"I'm busy," was Klaus only response, ignoring the man's cry of outrage. His folder was already tucked under his arm ready to exit. Silas calmed the man and spoke up in support.

"This is something that we have to figure out now," Silas insisted. "Nothing is more important, we are losing money. In the last quarter profits stagnated and I don't see it as a coincidence." He was staring at Klaus with scorn, his accusations nothing unheard before. "A systematic cleaning is necessary to raise efficiency. Consolidate positions. Hire more interns. You need to do something."

Heat radiated off of Elijah in waves and he almost imaged him picking up Silas's frail and hunched body and breaking it over his knee. Elijah was close to opening his mouth to respond, but his fear of undermining Klaus kept him silent.

"As if I'm doing nothing!"

The animal came out of Klaus so unexpectedly that half the table, including himself, jumped, and if it weren't for the room being soundproof, the rest of the city would have jumped back too.

Though the reaction seemed a bit unwarranted, the worst part was that these outbursts had become routine. Klaus had dealt with similar attitudes for over a year already, but since they'd returned it'd gotten much worse. There was so much pressure on him to perform and not only was it tough trying to meet expectations, but he'd grown much more sensitive to the critique.

"You're still a bastard boy you have no clue about how things run around here."

Damon and Elijah both stood up at the same time knowing that was a low blow and to try calm Klaus down. Instead Klaus left the conference room like a raging ape, the 6-inch thick doors pushed with so much force that they actually hit the wall behind them.

Elijah stood up after his brother stormed out to try calm him down. A hand touched his shoulder. "Don't worry, I will handle this one" Stefan sighed he knew he had to talk to Klaus may as well do it now.

XXXXX

Caroline couldn't believe it the Mikaelson Inc building was impressively tall. The exterior was a modern clean architecture nearly entirely comprised of glass and even the sidewalk seemed to sparkle brighter around it. It was sleek and chic, but the cool front quickly started to psyche her out. The commanding, yet elegant aura reminded her too much of a certain someone; it was practically Klaus in edifice form!

She pushed those thoughts aside. This was not the time for her to start backing out. She had two missions coming into this building: finding Stefan and avoiding Klaus—that was it (despite the tiny part of her wanting to catch a glimpse of him). She hoped lady luck was with her today as she took a deep breath and walked into the building lobby. She could do this!

Her anxiety increased as she pushed through the incredibly heavy revolving doors only to find a blockade of half a dozen armed guards. Surprised that she actually had to go through security to get inside the building, she patiently stood on a relatively short line to have her purse checked and pass through metal detectors. These were just the beginning trials of her journey, but she forced herself to cheer up and keep going. This was all in the name of friendship.

Elena had told the news to Rebekah regarding Stefan's new girlfriend, it became obvious that news it had weighed Bekah down. It was equipped with the knowledge of Bekah's daunting state that she'd come to her logical conclusion, which had brought her here. Bekah would not be able to move on until she cleared things up with Stefan. She came today to speak with Stefan to convince him to talk to Bekah so that she could finally get the closure that she needed. Hopefully she could give Stefan the message quickly and not have to bump into anyone, especially Klaus. She knew the risk she was taking by coming into his office building, but she had to do this for Bekah. It was her moral obligation as a friend.

She followed the directions that Kol had given her over the phone after she'd called Bonnie last night for help. Going over the instructions carefully, she made a right as soon as she got off the elevator on the last floor, the 53rd floor. On the wall there was a sign that read 'Communications' just as Kol mentioned and she followed the arrows that lead her to a spacious waiting area with a woman at a reception desk in the centre. The woman looked up at her and smiled politely.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm here to meet with Kol," she replied.

The woman nodded, picking up her phone and called Kol to let him know that she had arrived before hanging up and asking her to follow. She led her into the hallway behind her and they passed yet another waiting room before reaching his office door. It was open and she walked in cautiously after he called her in.

"Care!" he welcomed her and she smiled.

"Hi Kol" she beamed. "Thank you for helping me."

"It's not a problem at all," he smiled. "Stefan should still be in a meeting but I know that they're coming out soon." He grabbed a handful of colourful gumdrops from a glass plate on his desk and proceeded to shove them all in his mouth at once.

After offering her some of his candy—which she graciously declined—Kol led her to a private elevator opposite of where she came in from and it went an additional twelve floors higher than the other one. Caroline contemplated exactly how she was going to approach the subject of Bekah to Stefan. What if he didn't care at all and she'd just wasted her time by coming? She seriously hoped that she could convince him to at least clear the air with Bekah; he owed her at least that much.

"So Klaus is back you know" Kol winked. Clearly up to his usual mischief

"Oh is he? I wasn't aware" Caroline replied.

Kol laughed. "They should be done any minute. I'll wait with you if you want," Kol offered and she nodded gratefully. There was no way she could stay here all by herself while the most influential people in the company walked out of those important doors. "Want something to eat?"

She turned to what he was referring and saw a table set up with muffins, cakes, tea and even coffee. Her stomach turned at the thought of food she had a feeling that she was about to see Klaus for the first time in over five months. Considering their last encounter, she had no idea how they were supposed to behave. When she heard the doorknob jiggle, her heart raced.

The door burst open —the one and only—Klaus, storm out the room first, angrily striding right past them down the hall without even noticing them. She felt all of the nervous energy drain from her so quickly that she actually felt weak. She couldn't believe her luck. He'd been staring straight ahead and didn't even look around him to notice her. She took a deep breath. Now all she had to do was find Stefan.

"Stefan," she greeted as she saw him walk out the doors after speaking with Elijah.

"Caroline!" Stefan exclaimed, a huge smile slowly spreading across his face. She almost teared at the overwhelming feelings. It had also been five months since she'd seen him and she was so happy that he was still endearing her name. His situation with Bekah aside, he'd always been a good friend to her and she hadn't realized just how much she had missed him.

"It's so good to see you! What are you doing here?" he asked after she took the seat next to him.

She didn't speak right away and thought carefully about what to say. She didn't want to go straight into the subject of Bekah, especially since seeing him in person brought up many more different feelings than she'd anticipated. It was just so good to finally see him again and she hadn't counted on being this excited. She honestly wished that she didn't have to bring up Bekah at all and could just catch up on what was going on in their lives. It's been so long and it was like reuniting with her cool older brother. She just wanted to hold a casual conversation and gossip.

"I came to yell at you for not letting me know that you were back," she finally answered, crossing her arms in fake anger, but he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you angry." She waited for him to continue, but he offered no other explanation.

"So that's it?" She was mad that he wouldn't even give her an excuse. "There's no good explanation why?" Stefan exhaled loudly as if she was annoying him with stupid questions, but looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he leaned back on his chair, "but I've been really busy." She took in a deep breath to relieve the irritation of his pathetic answer. "So, how was your summer?" he asked and as much as she really wanted to talk about their vacations, she couldn't let him off the hook so easily.

"I know that you have a girlfriend, Stefan." He moved away. "But I think that you need to clear things up with Bekah soon." Stefan completely retracted from her now, giving her a confused look.

"What?" he asked dumbly and she sighed.

"Bekah, you know the girl you left to go gallivanting with Klaus over the summer? That one. You need to talk to her about why you dumped her and then didn't even have the decency to tell her when you got back." Stefan was silent for a moment, trying to absorb as many things that were odd about this conversation as he could.

"Bekah and I were never together really…" he said slowly and she just wanted to smack him for making things difficult,

"That still doesn't justify what you did. And you have the nerve to come back with a girlfriend. What's wrong with you? I thought that you were better than that." Stefan just touched his temple soothingly as if trying to calm a migraine.

"I don't think that it's a good idea to go talk to her," he said finally. Why was he being so stubborn?

"Look, she'd probably kill me if she knew I was telling you this," she started, feeling bad for going against Bekah's trust. But she can't move on because she's not sure if you'll come back." Although Bekah had never said any of this explicitly, it was more than implied.

The pained expression on Stefan's face was more than satisfying and it reminded her that she was doing the right thing. Clearly he still cared about Bekah, but probably saw her as someone he could always fall back on when he wasn't with anyone else. Well she knew better than anybody that Bekah was crazy in love with Stefan and wanted more from him than the fleeting fling he'd selfishly offered. She was not going to let Bekah get the short end of the stick. If Stefan really wanted her he had to act now. Bekah would not be waiting around for him forever. She would make sure of that.

Stefan turned to look at Caroline. "Can we just drop this please, I will talk to her".

Caroline looked like she was going to explode she was just about to open her mouth.

"Ahem…" They heard a noise from the doorway and both turned to look at the source of their interruption. Her heart skipped. She should have known that things never went as planned.

It was Klaus… and he looked even more confused at seeing her than Stefan had earlier. Unlike when she had seen him just a couple of minutes ago, he was no longer wearing a blazer or tie and the top buttons of his shirt were undone. His hair was messy as hell as if he'd just been pulling at it and she wondered what in the world could get him so worked up that would have him looking like that.

But all that didn't matter because he was still as perfect as ever.

His eyes were completely focused on her and the intensity of his stare made it impossible to turn away. It wasn't until that very moment that the full impact of seeing him in person rushed over her and she felt faint.

"Ahem!" She heard a little more urgently this time and realized that it was coming from a woman that was half shielded by Klaus's tall frame.

She came around Klaus to pointedly stare between her and Stefan with obvious contempt, her foot tapping angrily. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, but she was a beautiful woman and she couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed her right away. She wore a bright red blouse, holding her coat in one arm as she raised her eyebrow expectantly at them.

"Stefan!" the woman screeched and Stefan immediately took a large step away from her. Could this possibly be who she thought it was?

"She was looking for you," Klaus mentioned, staring at the seething harpy with a bored expression.

"Who is that?" the woman demanded, asking both men. Caroline looked between Stefan and Klaus; was this woman serious? This bitch couldn't possibly be Stefan's girlfriend?

"Ivy, please-" Stefan said soothingly. "This is an old friend of ours," he explained, staring only at Ivy while introducing them. Ivy relaxed considerably, but the murderous intent didn't vanish from her eyes until he walked towards her. "I'll see you later, Care," Stefan said in farewell while passing Klaus with a curt nod.

"Bye," she replied, frantically thinking about what was going to happen once she was alone with Klaus for the first time in ages. She couldn't believe this was happening! Stefan was going to leave her so fast… but they'd just met up!

She looked at Klaus her heart started racing again. Her breaths came out shorter and her hands were already shaking at her sides; she was a fidgety wreck! But deep in her soul there was a resolute calm. This was all that she'd ever really wanted from the moment she'd come up with the idea to come here. It was to see Klaus, to talk to him, hug him, kiss him, have sex with him again.

Klaus's hands were casually placed in his pockets as he watched Stefan and Ivy kiss each other briefly in greeting on their way out. He then fully turned to her before addressing the couple behind him.

"Close the door," he requested smoothly. Stefan gave them a single backwards glance before complying.

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**A/N: Dun dun here we go, reviews please **** it may be a while until I update – work life is getting a tad hectic!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes: Hi guys, here we are again Chapter 3. Enjoy**

***Klaus POV***

When Klaus had first walked into the conference room looking for Stefan, he hadn't expected to find him there but for the sake of Ivy's whining ass, he checked anyway. To not just find could Stefan there, but Caroline as well was a shock. He could do nothing but stare at her. She was the last person he was expecting to see.

He immediately squashed down the unexplainable hope he'd had for her possibly being here to look for him after he noticed her shock at his entrance. Clearly she was here for Stefan and that had been confirmed by the snippet of conversation he and Ivy had walked in on. But still, to come all the way over to headquarters just to see Stefan? He knew it had something to do with his sister and he himself had ignored her calls. As soon as Stefan clicked the door shut, he cleared his throat.

He took a step towards her. "Hello Caroline" he didn't want to straight out ask her what she was doing here, although he was quite curious to know.

"Klaus" she replied, surprisingly cool. "How are you?" she asked back. He nodded a couple of times.

"I'm doing good," he responded, trying to observe her reactions carefully as he stepped closer.

Oddly, he couldn't read anything off her; she was acting collected and wondered briefly if these couple of months had been longer than he'd realised. There was no smile on her face nor were there any other signs that she wanted him any closer than he already was. But that only gave him even more initiative to find out.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been not seeing me for so long." He smirked, Klaus knew the routine that would push them back into familiar territory. Caroline grinned at his comment. "But here I am."

"Who said I came here looking for you?" Caroline responded crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why else would you be here love?" he asked, taking a seat on a random chair and inviting her to sit beside him. She remained standing.

"Was that really Stefan's girlfriend?" she asked snippily raising an eyebrow. It threw him off the change of conversation.

"Yes," he answered, wondering why of all the topics they were talking about this.

Caroline said nothing more and walked around the back of the room. He could see that she was taking in the décor: the long mahogany oval table, the 30 or so well-worn leather swivel chairs messily arranged around it, the black and gold wallpaper and of course, the full wall of glass on the opposite wall, back-dropping the city below them.

In turn, he took the time to admire her as well. She was wearing a black, cropped jacked with a fitted, white shirt underneath, dark-washed skinny jeans and ankle boots with a heal. She looked breathtaking as he remembered. It has been a while since he'd thought of her – out of sight out of mind, as the saying goes, but he was suddenly very glad for the reminder. She turned around and caught him watching her.

"This must be a nice place to work," she commented lightly, walking towards the large glass windowpane extending from one corner to the other behind the table.

Her silhouette against the sky was nostalgic. Their last time together had been a night full of memories he wouldn't forget. He went to stand beside her, but she neither turned nor acknowledged him.

"It's fine" he said slowly. Why was she refusing to look at him? Their bodies were almost touching and his heart was thumping in his chest. There was something thrilling about being this close to her again. He leaned in closer to her ear. "Did you have a good summer?" he whispered.

"I did," she replied evenly, finally turning around to face him. "How was your vacation?" Her gaze never wavered as she looked at him directly in the eyes.

"It was hardy a vacation." Why did everybody always assume that? She nodded slightly and there was something about the force of her look that made him swallow hard.

Her lips were a subtle pink hue, parted just slightly, invitingly, and he couldn't contain himself. There was a playfulness that overcame him whenever she was around. He slowly inched closer to her face, his hands going up on the glass behind her. One of her hands calmly slid to his waist, her open palm resting against his abdomen. She wasn't pushing, but she was keeping him away. He welcomed the challenge,

"Why are you here?" he asked directly this time, searching her gaze for the appropriate answer. And whether he imagined it or not, he wasn't entirely sure, but her hand on him shifted just a tiny fraction and it moved lower. That was all the reply he needed.

He pushed her hand off him and closed the gap between them, trapping her against the glass. Caroline was silent, her eyes fixated on his, her breath hitched deliciously. He bit his lip in anticipation; he definitely needed a reminder of a few things.

His mouth was just about to brush hers when she turned away. Her movement didn't completely register with him until a few moments later and he froze where he was, confused. She was still in his arms, but wasn't acknowledging him, looking the other way and avoiding his gaze. He backed off.

Clearing his throat and suddenly feeling like an idiot at her rejection, he hastily turned around so she couldn't see how humiliated he was. He had no idea what the hell just happened. Has he mixed up signals? No. He sure he'd read her right. But then.. huh?

"I haven't seen you in months, Klaus," Caroline whispered behind him. He could hear the guilt in her voice and he really didn't want her making him feel worse so he put up one hand and turned around to answer.

"I know," he said, wishing he had a drink at the moment. It had been such a long time since someone had made him feel so stupid. Clearly, he'd been too cocky in thinking that they would pick up where the left off.

"We haven't talked since you got back," Caroline continued, " I just.." He gave her a side-glance waiting for her to finish, but he knew that she was going to say. She assumed he'd lost interest in her.

"Moved on," he finished, trying to smooth over the tension by jokingly spinning it back to her. " I know your attention span is quite short, so it's perfectly understandable."

"You know that's not what I meant!" she snapped. He knew she was probably just pissed about his lack of attempt to contact her.. So typical. He sighed. This was exactly the reason why he avoided getting into situations like this with woman in the first place. That they had the nerve to get offended at the smallest things.

"You're mad at me?" he asked and she crossed her arms again but refused to look at him. He doubted that she would ever come looking for him, but if she was going to complain about the distance then she could at least share the blame. "You have my number," he reminded her, just having remembered himself. At first she looked at him with narrowed eyes as if she had no idea what he was talking about, but then quickly looked away. "You could have called me if you really wanted."

"I thought that you'd given it to me by mistake," she mumbled. Honestly, he still didn't know quite why he had given it to her either, but that shouldn't matter anymore.

"It wasn't a mistake, love." She dropped eye contact immediately.

"Right." There was more silence. Finally, she shifted uncomfortably and looked towards the door. "I should get going," She was being serious.

"You mean before you breakdown and admit how much you've missed me? Then you should probably go." She glared at him before a tiny smile crawled to her lips and she shook her head. She walked closer to him and stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ears "It was just sex right Klaus? You need to remember it was good, but it wasn't great". He grabbed her hand before she excited the room; she looked down at their hands as he passed his thumb over her knuckles.

"How could you have forgotten?" He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. She licked her lips nervously and removed her hand from his grasp. She turned away, but not before he saw her smile.

Walking out in the hallway, he stared at her ass wondering why he'd never seen her in tight jeans before. She should wear them more often. Or maybe he just needed to see her more often. Once in front of the elevator, he grabbed her hand again and she looked up at him. Taking a step closer, he noticed her sultry smile return.

"When are you going to come visit me again?" he asked, leaning in.

"Seriously?" she rolled her eyes. "I'm not," she whispered back smiling, but her focus was straying between his eyes and lips. He almost had her.

"Why not?" he pressed, squeezing the hand he was still holding and intertwining their fingers together. Her eyes danced, looking at him through her dark lashes.

"Because _Nik." _She said his name in the sexiest murmur. He took in a sharp breath hearing her say his name made his pants tighten. Damn this woman.

"Because what?" he insisted, moving closer. "Don't you want to see me again?"

"No."

He couldn't help laughing. The elevator arrived with a chime and she let go of his hand.

"I'll be waiting for that booty-call," he reminded her as she got in. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Right." She turned her head away from him, jamming the elevator button hard to make her escape quicker. He only waved at her enthusiastically, earning a scowl from her as the doors closed pathetically slow.

He smirked. He was only trying to bother her. Making his way back into his office, he wondered if he ever would get that call. Although he sincerely doubted it, he knew that this would not be their last encounter and _that_—despite her resistance—he would definitely guarantee.


End file.
